


definitely a family thing.

by misswritingobsessed



Series: 'family thing' [3]
Category: FBI (TV 2018)
Genre: Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 07:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20793200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misswritingobsessed/pseuds/misswritingobsessed
Summary: “Yeah, that – that is definitely a family thing.”





	definitely a family thing.

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is like a follow on from 'family thing' and 'changed' - I didn't have any kind of direction, so this could be really poor writing! Any and all mistakes are my own.

Maggie hadn’t expected the question, which meant she really hadn’t been able to prepare for it. She wanted to give some generic reply, but her brain simply told her to smile and shrug politely before shifting her attention to someone else nearby.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” OA appeared next to her, she’d seen him out the corner of her eye before, but she didn’t think he would come over and speak to her – they’d only been here an hour, she was sure he would still be catching up with friends and family.

“No, I just need some air,” She lied, what she really needed was to be at home, in something more comfortable than the dress she was wearing, listening to something other than deeply personal questions.

OA gave her a look of concern and a quick once over before speaking again, “Do you need me to get you some water, or do want to go home?”

Maggie quickly shook her head, “No, no, I’m not unwell,” She laughed a little, trying to prove she was okay.

“I’ll come with you,” He replied, before scanning the room for the closest exit.

Maggie wanted to laugh at the way he was looking around, clearly it was part of his training that would never leave him.

She didn’t want to argue with him and say ‘no, leave me be’, she knew it would only worry him more. Over the last few months she’d grown used to his family, surprised at how close they all were, but tonight, within the first hour, all she wanted was her own mother to talk to.

Once outside, Maggie felt like she could take a deep breath, “Look, OA, I’m fine – I don’t want to be anti-social or anything, I just needed a minute.”

“So, we’ll take a minute.” He seemed so certain in what he was saying, and Maggie had noticed how when it came to her and his family, everything seemed to be centred around her.

Silence settled between them as they leant against the side of the building, just out of view of the street. Maggie couldn’t help but feel as though he was waiting for her to speak. She wanted to, she wanted to spill her guts and explain why one simple question had made her feel so out of control, but she didn’t know how to put it into words, she didn’t know how to say it without it sounding so pathetic that she was overwhelmed by it.

As the silence grew longer, she turned her head to look at him, waiting for a beat or two before opening her mouth, not fully sure what was going to come out of it.

“Your aunt asked me about us. About what we were doing, you know the usual stuff,” Maggie paused, normally so sure of her emotions right now, she didn’t know if she wanted to cry or to be angry.

“Kids.” Maggie said finally. “People are asking about kids and marriage, and my age, my career, how it’s all going to plan out, and I know, I know they are just making conversation and they’re curious, but the,” Maggie paused again.

“Mags.”

That was all it took for Maggie to feel safe enough to open up.

“I don’t know, OA. I fought like hell to do this job, I don’t know if I want to give it up to be a mother, I don’t know if I want to get married – why does family have to include kids and a wedding ring? Why can’t it be two people who love each other?” She was more angry than upset, she decided.

OA waited for a few minutes, just to be sure that Maggie was finished venting before he spoke.

“What do you want me to say?”

Maggie looked up at him, making eye contact for the first time, but she didn’t speak she simply shrugged – instead of the frustration she’d expected to hear, she heard kindness and concern.

“Mags, we’ve been dating for almost two years, on the one hand, people are going to ask questions, they’re just normal questions, but for me I don’t care – if I wanted answers to any of those questions I would ask you about it, and I hope that you would ask me.”

“I would, and we would talk, I know that. But when someone else starts talking about marriage and kids and how old I am, and my career,” Maggie took a deep breath before finishing her sentence, “I feel like I am robbing you of this perfect life, with a good wife and three kids and a house in the suburbs.”

Maggie didn’t really have time to think another thought before OA had pulled her into a tight hug.

“Don’t think like that.” His voice was firm, yet gentle, and Maggie could tell she’d hit a nerve.

When she pulled back, she looked up at him, trying to read his facial expressions but failing miserably.

“A family is whatever a single person decides a family is, Maggie. Those people in there are my family biologically, but you, the team, Kirsten, Dana, Jubal, Ian, Matt, Sam, Evan, they’re my family too,” He explained, his hands still wrapped around her.

“Conversations about marriage and kids are gonna come up, they’re gonna come up here, and at events and at work, and that’s okay, because we give generic answers to generic questions. Maggie,” He said her name before pausing.

“I know it’s easier said than done, but please stop believing we have to work to this time limit. Please stop thinking that I want the same things Jason did – I want you, and I want us, both of us to be happy.”

Maggie avoided his eye for a moment. Thinking maybe that’s why she got so emotional, Jason wanted kids and she wanted to wait, and with the job that she and OA did, there was always that chance that one of them wasn’t coming home.

“Do you want kids?” Maggie’s voice was quiet as she asked the question.

She watched as OA thought for a moment, he opened his mouth a few times and for the first time in a while all Maggie wanted was a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

“Yeah, I want kids,” OA answered her, before adding, “Do you want kids?”

Maggie took a breath, she knew her venting earlier was just venting, but it was still true.

“I don’t know, a part of me does, but a part of me still doesn’t know.” 

She pulled away from him completely, but he took her hand before she could think about walking off.

“Does it matter right now?” He asked, “We have good jobs, ones we enjoy, we’ve got good friends and extended family, we have each other, why don’t we just enjoy that for a while? In the future if we have kids, then great, but if we decided that we won’t then, still great.”

Maggie didn’t have any words, instead, she just wrapped her arms around him, a smile on her face accompanied by a few tears that she hoped would disappear before she went back inside.

“We should get back,” OA whispered as he held her.

“We should.”

\----------

It had been close to four months since Maggie and OA had that conversation about children. Nothing had changed, they went about daily life as they always did.

“Amira’s boyfriend wants to propose.” OA said to end the silence.

They’d decided to take the weekend off, heading to Indiana to catch up with Maggie’s family. They were sat on the back porch, Maggie’s nephew and young cousin playing on the swing set in their pyjama’s before bed.

“You know you can’t arrest him for that right?” Maggie laughed.

OA nodded reluctantly before smiling. “He seems nice, Amira’s happy, my mum’s happy. I think dad would have liked him.”

“Good. Just think it’ll be another family party you’ll try to get out of, and you can glare at him all you want from the other side of the room.”

“First of all,” OA put his mug of coffee down with a smile, “I do not glare, okay, that is all you, Agent Bell. Secondly, and most importantly, I do not try to get out of family gatherings, if I remember correctly the last two meals we’ve skipped because you suddenly had a headache.”

Maggie shook her head, despite his words being true. “At least it’ll be them getting all the questions,”

OA reached over, wrapping an arm around Maggie, pulling her a little closer to him.

“It’s all just a family thing, I think.”

Maggie nodded, “They do it because they care,” Her voice was quiet as she continued. “I am sorry about how I’ve been acting, though. It’s not been fair on you and I know your family meant no harm by assuming we were getting married or having kids because we didn’t show up to dinner.”

OA laughed, “It was a few things, but they sometimes forget we have full-time jobs, that aren’t really full-time, they’re more like twenty-four-seven.”

“I overreacted and, now I feel guilty about it.”

“Don’t. Believe me, my mum loves you – I don’t know if it’s just her, but the moment I introduced you as my girlfriend you became her daughter-in-law, no wedding ring needed. And, I am sure if we get a dog, or a cat or a pet snake, she would fully treat that animal like a grandchild.”

Maggie chuckled, before giving him a look, “Does your mum really think of me like that?”

OA nodded, “She loves you more than she loves me. Seriously, she thinks you are the best thing that ever happened to me, apparently, you’re a good influence.”

“I am a brilliant influence on you.” Maggie shot back with a laugh.

“Oh, really? Do you want me to list all of the reckless things you’ve ever done?” OA asked in a serious tone, but still with a hint of a smile.

“I think I’ll pass on that one.”

“I thought you would, Mags.”

\----------

Maggie stood face to face with Amira’s boyfriend, or soon to be fiancée, if what OA had told her was true.

“So, apparently we have to go to another dinner tomorrow and then next week is like, party central.”

Maggie nodded with a grin on her face. “Yeah, they’re a close-knit family, and they love gatherings and because there are so many of them, well, there’s always a birthday, wedding, baptism, or something to celebrate.”

He looked a little taken back, before finally nodding.

“You get used to it. It’s actually pretty nice.”

He hesitated for a moment, and Maggie felt like she knew what was coming, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like she could actually be of help to someone when it came to the workings of the entire Zidan family.

“So, me being the newbie, and you being the not so newbie,” He began, pausing for a moment, almost as if it was for dramatic effect, “what is with all the questions?”

Maggie couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The feelings she had months ago when she was on the receiving end of a family interrogation now gone.

She took a breath, trying to think of how to put it – not that she had much advice.

“Yeah, that – that is definitely a family thing.”

He laughed, just as OA approached.

“Brought you a drink,” He said to Maggie handing her the wine glass.

“Thank you, Liam and I were just talking about how close-knit we all are as a family,” Maggie turned back to look at Liam, “You should get back to Amira, but let me know if you need any more advice.”

Liam smiled, nodding a little in OA direction before turning around and scanning the room for Amira.

“You said ‘we’.” OA pointed out with a smile.

Maggie shrugged, “Should I not do that?” She asked a little unsure.

“No, you should keep doing that. Strange isn’t it – you are part of this ‘family thing’ because you invited me to a ‘family thing’?”

Maggie thought for a moment, opening her mouth a few times to speak, but not actually saying anything.

“Is that strange, or is that just, how relationships form? I mean, you said so yourself, family means different things to different people.”

OA only chuckled, leaning down to kiss the side of Maggie’s head.

“Just as long as you’re happy, Mags.”

“Don’t worry, Omar, I’m very happy.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I am hoping this is okay, because I really wanted to write a part three! Although, I have no idea how I would continue this, so I feel like if we were to class 'family thing' as a series, then this would be the end! I hope this hasn't been the worst thing you've read - I would love to hear your thoughts!


End file.
